Slytherin's Heir
by Sokkasm
Summary: Ed only wants to return home to see his brother again. Of course, this will be a challenge when the other students think he's the next Dark Lord. Takes place in book two.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, here's a new little story I decided to start. I've had this idea nagging in my mind for a couple months now. I'm partly co-writing this with a friend who does not have an account here (she gives me ideas and such), and the lovely MemoriesOfVoxei is my beta reader. I hope you enjoy this crossover, and I'm trying to make it unique from the other crossovers in this section. Questions? Feel free to PM me.**

**How often I update will correlate with the amount of reviews I receive.**

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><p>Harry could hardly believe he was finally back at Hogwarts; only a few weeks ago, he had been locked up in his room. Sure, Hedwig was great company, but he had been rather lonely without Ron and Hermione.<p>

This had to be one of the strangest months in his young life, mainly because of the appearance of the house elf, Dobby. He was still unsure why the elf was so adamant about him not returning to school this year. That odd, but harmless, encounter was not enough to deter him from going back to the castle he loved.

Right now, though, he was not loving it. Harry wasn't sure which class he despised more right now; Potions with Snape, which was self explanatory, or Defense against the Dark Arts with Lockhart. They were practically tied for being his most-loathed class. However, Lockhart was a pathetic joke for a teacher, but at least he wasn't trying to berate Harry at every given chance… like a certain large-nosed professor.

He decided to visit the library before going to detention for crashing into the Womping Willow with Arthur Weasley's modified flying car. Harry thought mental scarring from nearly being bludgeoned to death by a tree should have been sufficient, but it apparently was not sever enough of a punishment. The retribution for driving a magical flying car around was helping Professor Lockhart sign autographs…whoopee.

While slumping from slight exhaustion from a long school day, Harry wandered into the library before it closed for the night. There was a potion he had to perfect in a week, not that Snape would give him a fair grade even if he did study and try his hardest…

But there was no harm in trying, so Harry went into the potions section and pulled out several books at random, hoping one of them would contain the information he desired.

'_Alihotsy Draught- Inhaling of the blue fumes causes hysteria. For antidote potion, see page 342-' _Harry flipped the page. As much fun as a hysteria inducing potion sounded, it was not the one he was looking for.

Tirelessly turning the pages soon grew old, so Harry stopped at a random page and read about a potion which made a person go into a sudden fit of laughter.

Harry thought it was odd when the lighting seemed to go dim, so he casually glanced at a clock. His eyes widened in panic; he was already a half-hour late to his detention! Abruptly, Harry pushed himself out of the chair and scrambled to collect the books to put them away. In his hurry, he bumped right into another student, sending both his and the stranger's books to the ground.

"I'm so sorry! Here, let me help-" Harry stopped mid-sentence when he took in the appearance of the person he had bumped into. The student had golden blond hair, he seemed rather short, but most noticeable of all, he was wearing black and green robes; a Slytherin! Appalled, Harry backed away to avoid the inevitable wrath of the individual.

A long, silver object clattered on the floor, as it had been dropped along with the books. Harry recognized the object, but was utterly shocked to discover it would be in a wizarding school. It was a crutch; something only muggles needed, since Madame Pompfry could mend bones in a matter of hours.

The Slytherin pressed his hand to his ribs, looked agitated, in pain, and annoyed, muttering harshly under his breath. Not really caring to see what his rival was going to say, and not wanting to be even more late to his detention, Harry left his fallen books on the ground and he ran.

"Get back here, you little punk!" A distant voice with an unfamiliar accent yelled as Harry rounded a corner and prepared to be reprimanded for landing in a damned tree.

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><p>"No shouting in my library!" Ed nearly jumped when the scrawny librarian snuck up behind him. "What have you done to my books?! They're everywhere, my poor babies!" As inconspicuously as he could, Ed scooted himself away from the batty old woman, hoping she wouldn't notice his feeble escape. "Where do you think you're going, you devious little Slytherin?"<p>

"Little?!" He protested, giving her an incredulous glare.

"Pick up these books and put them back where they belong. Go ahead, we haven't got all day." With a grunt, Ed laid the books into a pile with his left hand and awkwardly placed them onto the table. Using a chair for support, Ed pulled himself up, using his flesh leg as a propeller. The grouchy librarian noticed he was struggling, so she slightly softened up and helped Ed put the books back on the shelf. He kept one book in his hand and smiled at her, trying to appear friendly, when in fact, he was mightily pissed.

"May I check this book out?"

"Of course." She grabbed the book while Ed reached for his stupid crutch. With much effort, Ed limped his way over to the librarian's desk to retrieve his book. Once that was taken care of, Ed hobbled his way through the winding halls back to his designated dorm. Hardly any students were out an about, since the nightly curfew for bedtime was nearing. He was grateful for this, as there was no one around to give him any strange looks for using a muggle's tool.

The Slytherin dorm was located in the dungeons, and its dim lighting also helped hide his disadvantage. Once he found the hidden entrance to the hall, Ed slipped in cautiously, making sure no one was around. A few first and second years were doing assignments they had been likely working on for hours. One day they would learn the wonderful art of great procrastination. They were studying intently, so Ed doubted they would notice him walking by. He avoided the young brats at all costs, since he disliked it when they constantly gaped at him. It wasn't the most terrible thing in the world, but Ed did not want to gain any unwanted attention in this place.

As expected, the younger students did not notice Ed shuffling through the common room; their eyes remained glued on their various scrolls and books. After a long, jaunting walk, Ed finally arrived at his bedroom.

"Ling?" He called out quietly when he entered his small room, located at the furthest end of the dormitory. "Are you up?" The flickering candle was not doing a good job of lighting the room, and Ed still didn't understand why they just couldn't use electric lights.

Receiving no answer, Ed used his crutch to prod the bed, but he was disappointed to discover it was empty. Ling was naturally better at socializing with the others, so he was either talking with friends or gobbling food in the kitchens, where he probably gained scraps by pretending to faint with hunger. With a sigh, Ed plopped down on his green covered bed.

Officially, he wouldn't start classes until Monday, which was only two days away. It was something he was not looking forward to, but he had little choice in the matter. He highly doubted he would find a way out of this place in only two days, so he would have to try his best to fit in.

Deciding he wouldn't wait for Ling to return to their room, Ed crawled under the covers and blew the nearest candle out. His automail ports were sore, especially since his metal limbs were nothing more but dead weight here.

His ribs and arm had been healed soon after agreeing to stay at the school, but they still felt rather uncomfortable. It was a miracle he was able to walk using a crutch with his tender arm. Ed situated himself and laid in a position that would cause the least amount of stress.

All he wanted to do now was figure a way out of this odd country, making it impossible for him to relax and unwind. He shouldn't be trying to sleep; he should instead be trying to find a way to get back to Alphonse. Hopefully, staying at the school would help lead him on a path to his way home…which was a whole world away.

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><p><strong> I am an idiot for not being able to figure out how technology works. I messed up and uploaded the unedited version of this chapter. Well, it's all better now. <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

It was rather early in the morning when Ed woke up. Since he had arrived here, he hadn't been getting sufficient amounts of sleep. His ports were always aching, and the potion that would help fix that little problem wouldn't be ready for another week.

Ed looked at the bed and rolled his eyes; Ling was not in the room. With a huff, he threw his blankets to the floor and reached for his crutch. He was hungry, so he was going to eat breakfast, no matter if Ling was with him or not.

After much effort, he nabbed the tool and prepared for his long walk to the cafeteria. Because it was a Sunday, most of the students were sleeping in. Others would be in the library studying, or off to get some food like he was.

As he was walking down the long corridor, Ed completely ignored the pictures on the walls. They were unfamiliar and unnatural…moving and talking photos shouldn't exist. It had to be impossible! The proof was there, but he refused to accept it. Besides, they were plain creepy.

Ed walked at a saunter past all of the dorm rooms, and went to a halt when he reached the common room. Sitting on the black leather couches were a bunch of fifth and sixth year students, including Ling. If he was swift, he would've been able to sneak out of the room without being spotted.

"Ed. Hey, Ed!" Ling's voice called out, to which Ed moaned with disgust. The idiot prince had been nothing but annoying and bothering since arriving here. In general, the prince was plain infuriating. Ed decided to ignore him and continued on his way at a ridiculously slackening pace. "Edward!" Ling flailed his arms to get Ed's attention. Deciding he had enough, Ed turned a frustrated stare at him.

"What?" He asked in a harsh tone, and Ling seemed to realize he was not in a good mood…not that it would deter him. The other Slytherins spoke with hushed voices and tried to discretely look at him. Ed had no idea why using a crutch was such an odd thing, but it was. It wasn't like anyone knew he had automail, since he made sure to cover both limbs up.

"Come on, Ed. Sit down with us." Without a second thought, Ed kept walking, keeping his eyes on the doorway.

"No." He grabbed the doorknob and hurried out of the commons. He could hear the faint set of hurried footsteps as he closed the door, and he cursed his inability to run or walk faster. There was really no place to place to hide in the dungeons, but even if he tried, Ling had a pestering ability to sense him. "What do you want, Ling?" Ed asked when a shadow appeared next to him, followed by Ling.

"What's your problem?"

"I don't have one. Are you coming with me to get food or not?"

"Uh, sure, let me go get-"

"No."

"You didn't let me finish."

"Don't care. I don't want any of your friends near me."

"Someone's cranky." The idiot taunted.

"Shut up. I only want you to come with me to get food."

"You're taking me on a date? How sweet of you." Ed dropped his crutch and attempted to throw a punch at Ling. He was not used to fighting with his left hand, much less without the use of either of his automail limbs. Ling easily avoided Ed's swipes, and he chuckled. "Lighten up, it was just a joke. Let's go get food, now, I'm starving." Ling reached down and gave Ed his crutch.

"I'm going to kill you." Ed replied jokingly to show he wasn't as angry as he appeared.

"I'm afraid maiming is against the school rules." A voice spoke, to which Ed yelped and stumbled backwards. The sound came from one of the many suits of armor that lined the walls of the school, but neither boy knew they could talk.

"Ed, they're not like Al. We're not in Amestris, remember? Let's keep going." Quickly, Ed recovered from his shock, and he kept looking behind him to look at the immobile armor that could speak. He knew things were different here, but he still was having trouble getting used to all the new things. In a way, he was glad Ling was with him, or he would have no sense of familiarity. Worse yet, he would have no one on his side if he was alone.

Finding the cafeteria was another challenge, and even though they had been at the school for a week, they really did not know their way around; or at least Ed didn't. He knew how to get from his dorm to the library, but that was it. "We have to go up two flights of stairs, make the first right, and keep going." Ling stated matter-of-factly, and Ed snorted in response. Of course Ling was proficient in knowing how to get to the dining hall. Then again, Ling didn't lock himself in his room all day like Ed tended to do.

They approached the moving staircases and stepped onto one once it locked in place. Ed was still wary of the contraption, not at all convinced it wouldn't try to find a way hurt or injure him. They had to time it just right, because Ed would never be able to make it up in time before the stairs began to shift. When they were near the top, the giant stairs groaned and swung to the side, and Ed made sure he had an iron grip on the railing.

Once again, the staircase anchored in it's temporary spot, so Ed and Ling hastily went up before they decided to shift again. The two repeated the same process with the next flight of stairs before making their way to the dining hall.

It was not very busy in the hall, as most of the students were still asleep. A few Ravenclaws and Gryffindors were chatting with each other at their respected tables, while a small group of Hufflepuffs were alone at their table. The Slytherins were not yet present, but they would eventually fill the empty table once they were all ready. It seemed like the Slytherins tended to come up in pairs or small groups with their close friends, whereas the Gryffindors usually flocked in all at once.

Ed didn't care about anyone else's eating patterns; he only wanted to eat in peace. "You sure you're alright, Ed?" Ling asked when they took a seat near the exit.

"I would be perfectly fine if you stopped asking me the same question."

"Okay. So how's the research going? Find anything that will get us home?" Ed took a sip of his orange juice before responding.

"Not yet, but I will soon."

"Have you found anything at all?"

"Nothing, really. I'll figure something out when our classes start tomorrow." Ed practically spat out 'classes'. He hadn't been in a real school for nearly ten years, and he was not looking forward to his classes at all, despite the fact he could very well figure out a solution for their problem.

"I'm sure you will. Have you figured out how we ended up here?" Ed balled up his knuckles and rested his chin on his fist, concentrating on Ling's question. He had an idea of why they ended up somewhere completely different, but he was not positive.

One week earlier…

"Alphonse!" Ed shouted as the Gate's doors were slammed shut behind him. He was hurt, but mostly scared. Scared he would never be able to leave and return Al's soul to his rightful body. At least he was escaping from the Homunculus' stomach, so he'd at least be able to see Al in his suit of armor.

But something felt off…he hadn't been concentrating clearly. His head felt like it was going to explode; his entire being was being deconstructed and reconstructed. The pain wouldn't last much longer, but it was still horrendous.

As suddenly as it started, it quickly vanished. Ed landed on solid pavement, his eyesight was still a bit hazy. His surroundings were incredibly loud, and something in the air smelled odd. Once his sight cleared, Ed could hardly believe his eyes.

He was laying in a dark alleyway, but he had full sight of the bustling street before him. There were so many different cars and other strange automobiles he had never seen before. They roared in whizzed by with such an incredible speed that Ed did not think possible for automobiles.

The buildings looked much too high for anything in Central. While trying to figure out where he was, Ed was startled when someone coughed behind him.

"Ling?" He asked with a cocked head when he turned around to see who was with him. "Is that you?"

"Ed? Yeah, it's me. What happened?"

"I don't know. I don't think we're in Central, or Amestris. Is this Xing?"

"This is definitely not Xing. Where's that monster, Envy?" Ed quickly looked around, but saw no sign of the homunculus.

"I have no idea, but I doubt we'll see him soon. Come on, we'll go ask someone where we are." Ed stood up and helped Ling get to his feet, as unwilling as he was. "We'll get some food after, so let's go." Ling seemed much more determined after hearing Ed's promise of feeding him. Once they were on the main street, they both stood there for a minute to take in the new sights.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I was wondering if you could tell me where we are." Ed asked as politely as possible to a woman strolling by with large shopping bags.

"Get a job, lazy hooligan." Ed blinked and watched as she quickened her pace, and he could not believe someone could be so rude. "Hey, lady! I asked you a question!" He was fuming. How dare someone ignore and insult the Fullmetal Alchemist! So, thinking it was completely logical, Ed ran in front of her to get the answer he wanted. It shouldn't be that hard to answer a simple question for a lost traveler.

"I will call the police if you don't get away from me." The lady nearly shouted, which caught the attention of many people walking on the sidewalks.

"Listen, lady, I'm a State Alchemist. I only want to know-"

"Help! This kid is insane and trying to rob me!" The woman shrieked, which had a massive effect. People were starting to surround him, and one even grabbed his left arm.

"Let me go!" He panicked and jerked his arm back to his side. Thankfully, Ling came in to intervene.

"Oh, Edward, did you forget to take your medicine again?" Ling gave Ed a small grin that said, 'trust me'. "Sorry, everyone. He gets like this sometimes." The people started to disperse and carry on their ways. "Would someone mind telling me where we are?" Ling decided to ask before everyone left.

"Marylebone Road." A scraggily man replied.

"Ah, and where might that be?" This time, the man hesitated and raised an eyebrow.

"London."

"Where the hell is London?" Ed blurted out, to which the man started to back away.

"England." He replied quickly and left with haste. Ling and Ed looked at each other with blank expressions; neither of them had heard of 'England'.

"Ed, something feels wrong."

"Like what?" At that moment, there was a small flash of light from an alley, quickly followed by a loud cracking noise.

"That. Don't you feel it?" Ed furrowed his eyebrows with confusion, and squinted his eyes to look for the source of the noise.

"I heard it, too, but I don't feel anything."

"Really? It's powerful, and I don't think it's only coming off of you."

"What are you talking about?" Ed started to think Ling bumped his head recently.

"Yeah, you have a faint aura around you; I can sense your power. Well, there's a bigger aura wherever that noise just came from."

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about. I thought you could sense homunculi, and I'm not a homunculus."

"Are you sure?" Ed was taken aback by this.

"Of course I am, you idiot! Tell what you're talking about."

"Nah, you're being rude." Ed decided to flump Ling on the back of his head with that comment. "Now I'm really not telling you." Ling gently rubbed his head while Ed rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'm sorry, now tell me what you mean."

"That's not a very good apology, so you know. Anyway, I can sense your power. None of these other people have this feeling you do, but there's occasionally bursts of power. The strong one is still over in that alley, and it's growing. I think we should keep moving."

"If you say so." They made sure to stay on the main street in the well lit areas, and Ling would redirect them to a different path whenever he felt the unknown power grow in size. "Where exactly are we going?"

"Away from whatever is causing that energy; I don't like it."

"You said it feels like mine." Ed was confused, but he did trust Ling a little bit, and it was not a smart idea to split up in unknown territory. Ling abruptly stopped, and Ed nearly ran into him.

"No, this is different. It's everywhere; we're being surrounded. And haven't you noticed there's less people around?" Ling was right. Ed looked around and realized they hadn't seen another person for nearly a half-hour.

"Yeah, I have." The streets were empty, no cars were driving, and the noise had long died down.

"Let's hide out in one of these buildings until they go away."

"What, why? It's probably nothing." Ed was on edge, but he wasn't scared, and he didn't want to hide like a rabbit.

"We have no idea what's going on, and you want to stay out here in the open?"

"Yes?" He wasn't too sure; Ling made a good point. If they did split up, Ed would have the major disadvantage of not being able to sense whatever power Ling was feeling. Ling was all about self preservation, so Ed figured he would be on his own if he was attacked. "No. Let's go in a store, then."

They jogged to a small, brick store that sold candy, by the looks of the display case. Once inside, Ling drifted to the chocolates, but Ed stopped him by pulling on the collar of his shirt.

"But I'm hungry." Ling whined in protest.

"So am I." Ed countered while his stomach growled. "But we can eat later after whoever is following us leaves." They hid behind the cashier counter and waited in a dead silence. It seemed like forever, and Ling had yet to indicate it was safe to move around.

"It's getting closer." Ling whispered with great concern. Ed peered through a crack in the wood; he could see people moving by the display case at the front of the store. On instinct, Ed put his hands in position to clap, ready to transmute on the spot.

"_Homenum Revelio!_" A deep man's voice yelled from outside, which was followed by a bright flash of white light.

"Ah!" Ed cried out, then immediately regretted it. Something felt like it had harshly poked at his side, causing him to make an audible noise. The door swung open, and both boys remained silent and still, like their lives depended on it.

"Show yourselves, we know you're in here." A different voice spoke, this time, however, it was female. Ed guessed there were ten people in the room, but he wasn't going to ask Ling for clarification. Somehow, they knew they were in there, so the only thing to do at that point was fight. Without second thought, Ed popped out of his hiding place and clapped his hands.

Immediately, Ed could tell something was terribly wrong. The typical surge he felt while performing alchemy was completely non-existent and there was no flash of blue light when his hands slammed into each other. When he touched his automail arm, it did not transmute into a blade like he planned on making. Nothing happened.

Again, Ed clapped his hands with much more ferocity and threw them on the counter in an attempt to create any sort of weapon. Nothing continued to happen. "Shit!" He intelligently proclaimed to everyone, not knowing what to do next. He was close with guessing who his enemy was; it was a mixed group of nine people, all of them wearing odd clothes. They had little sticks in their hands, all pointing at him, and each one appeared to be glowing.

"_Expelliarmus!_" The smallest woman in the group cried out, and a jet of cobalt light shot out, hitting Ed square in the chest. He felt like he had been electrocuted, and the force from the light beam knocked the breath out of him, but caused no other damage.

The woman who said the foreign word looked confused, like the phrase she said did not work like it was supposed to. A tall, dark man stepped in front of the group and took charge. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Ed sprung forward to make the first move.

The were using an alchemy of some sort, but it appeared to be verbal. Somehow, those sticks were aiding their odd practice, but that would be their downfall; if he could get rid of the twigs, in theory, they would be useless.

"_Everte Statum!_" The man in front with a guttural rich voice spoke calmly. Instantaneously, an unseen force hit Ed, causing him to fly backwards, smashing into a line of shelves holding candy bars on a wall. He let out an indignant noise, and he was in pain, especially since he hadn't healed one bit from Envy's attacks inside of Gluttony's stomach.

"_Stupify!_" A few of the other cloaked people cried out, and one of the bright lights hit Ed's right shoulder. His automail port felt tingly and heavy, but he could still move it.

"Ling!" He whipped his head around to see what was taking the prince so long. A second or two after, Ling's head peeked up, and he had a chocolate bar in his mouth. "What are you doing?! Help me!" The bar vanished in Ling's gullet, then he vanished behind the cabinet again. "You bastard! What are you doing?"

Ed half sprinted and half limped to their hiding spot, so he could beat some sense into Ling. "_Carpe Retractum._" A pair of ropes materialized in midair and looped around Ed's legs, and he fell face first to the wooden floor.

"Ling!" He shouted both frantically and desperately. His heart was racing at twice it's normal speed, and he felt as if it was going to burst. This did not seem like alchemy, and these people were trying to hurt or capture him. The adrenaline rush he had earlier was wearing off, so his broken ribs and arm were starting to feel excruciating. Not only was he hurt, he was absolutely pissed off that Ling was being a lazy shit.

"_Petrificus Totalus_." Another one of the strange people called out when Ling finally emerged from the counter, but unexpectedly by both sides, nothing happened. The people froze and gawked at Ling, like he had performed an amazing magic trick.

"Congratulations, everyone, you found us!" Ling spoke cockily with a large grin on his face, "Now we can all go home and forget this happened, right?"

"No!" The man in front responded when he got over his shock. "He just attacked several aurors!" He pointed to Ed, who was struggling against the binding on his legs. "Besides, an unknown magical source popped up, and it turns out you two are the cause. We'll be taking you both to the ministry."

"What?" Ed and Ling both asked bewildered at the same time.

"Except you," The man pointed his finger at Ling. "You don't have a trace. Are you a muggle?"

"What? I don't steal from people."

"He's only a muggle. Obliviate him and let's get going. We still need to file reports on this." The man spoke to his comrades, and one of them pointed their stick at Ed once more.

"_Incarcerous_." More ropes appeared and put Ed into a full body bind. The same woman then pointed at Ling. "_Obliviate."_ Once again, whatever it was supposed to do, didn't work. "Sir, something's wrong. It's like he has a shield around him." The cloaked people went into a group huddle and whispered while Ling turned to a shelf to start indulging himself with more sweets. Ed cursed at him and uselessly wriggled in the ropes.

After a minute, the huddle split apart and a women with vibrant purple hair stepped forward. "Would you come to the ministry with us?"

"Sure." Ed knew Ling only agreed because he was curious about who these people were.

"Great. We'll give you a meal for your troubles."

"Ah, fantastic." Ling was conveniently ignoring the death stare Ed was giving him from on the floor.

"Hold tight, now." The lady held out her hand, and Ling grabbed it. She then reached down and awkwardly held Ed up so he wouldn't slip.

There was a loud noise identical to the one they heard earlier, and Ed was pretty sure he was going to puke. He felt as if he was being forced into a small tube, and he could barely see a thing. Within seconds, they were in a dark room, and Ed was officially panicking. Ling remained calm, but Ed could tell he was feeling nauseous and confused as well.

The woman with the purple hair stayed with Ed and Ling while the others left the room. "Where are we?" Ling questioned and looked with careful eyes around the room.

"This is my office, and I'm Tonks."

"Tonks?" Ling repeated.

"Yes. We'll bring you something to eat soon. Do you need anything else?"

"Actually, I think I fractured a few bones. I think I need a doctor, or…"

"_Episkey_." Tonks waved her stick at Ling, and Ed started to bang his head against the floor.

"How did you do that? The pain is all gone."

"Magic." She replied as her hair spontaneously changed from purple to electric blue.

"What a load of bullshit." Ed stated loudly and he stared at the woman to seemed to have just magically changed her hair color and healed Ling's injuries with a mere word.

"Sorry, my friend here has been having a bad day. Would you mind healing him, too?" Ling asked like the situation was completely normal. Tonks cocked her head slightly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Of course I don't mind." She aimed the stick at Ed and repeated the strange word from before. Immediately, Ed could feel his ribs mending, and his arm only felt a bit sore.

"It's like alkahestry." Ling pointed out, and it did make some sense. Somehow, these people were using a different type of alchemy verbally, but they just called it magic. Ed was relieved for a moment, but then remembered he, himself, could not perform his regular technique of alchemy.

"I don't understand what's going on here." Ed stated obviously.

"Neither do we. Where are you from? You both have strange accents."

"No offense, but I'd rather not say anything until you untie me; I haven't done anything wrong." He had to use all of his willpower to not sound rude and angry.

"I can't untie you. I'm only an auror in training."

"A what?" Ed greedily watched Ling eating a sandwich, and his stomach decided to twinge with hunger.

"An auror. Do you not know? You have to be foreign. Russian? German?"

"No, I'm Amestrian, and the pig over there is from Xing." Tonks frowned and she studied them both. She clearly thought he was lying, and she took a seat on a leather chair. "What, are you going to leave me here? That's not fair." Ed pouted as he lay helplessly on the floor.

"I'm sorry. We just have to wait until the headmaster arrives, and our top aurors." It sounded like gibberish to Ed, and he didn't see why he couldn't eat a sandwich. It was absolutely unfair. Tonks cautiously walked over to Ed, and she moved him so he could lay on a couch instead of the hardwood floor.

Ed mumbled a thanks while he stared at Tonks, whose hair color could apparently change at a whim. Ling happily munched away on a sandwich while occasionally taking a sip of water. Ed should have know this was how Ling would act, especially with the offer of free food.

It wasn't too long after when three people entered the door; two he recognized from the store, but the third was someone he had never see before, an ancient looking man with a flowing white beard. They approached Ling and talked to him, but they weren't loud enough for Ed to hear what they were saying.

It was starting to drive Ed crazy, but yelling and whining was not going to fix his problem, so he stayed silent. "Is he unarmed, Moody?" Ed heard the old man ask calmly.

"Yes." The gruff looking man replied. Out of everyone, he was the one who creeped him out the most.

"_Infinite Incantum_." The old man spoke with a flick of his twig, and the bindings around Ed vanished. He could breathe much more easily, and he sat straight on the couch. "Edward," Ed figured Ling told them his name, and must of explained what had happened. The tone the man was using was odd. It was like he was talking to someone naive and incredibly dangerous; Ed decided he did not like this man. "You're a wizard."

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><p><strong>Sorry, everybody! I had this chapter written a week after I posted the first chapter, but had some major computer issues. I have purchased a new computer, so we should be good for now. My apologies to Vox, I know everyone is getting impatient, so I decided to update without having this one betad. We can do that later. Thank you!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Ed laughed dryly at the stupid notion and he looked at the old man squarely in the eyes and ceased his forced laughter. "What kind of idiot do you think I am? Tell me what's really going on here!" As his tone rose, a few of the people in the room raised their sticks menacingly. Those people and their sticks could perform amazing feats that alchemy simply could not do.

Surely the elderly man wasn't serious; wizards weren't real. There had to be a logical explanation for all of this, like he perhaps had stumbled into an insane asylum, or he had bumped his head and it was all a silly dream. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Ed was scared. He had no idea where he was, who these people were or what they wanted, and the strange tactic they used with their sticks was practically unexplainable.

"You're a wizard." The man repeated softly, while he moved his hands in a downward motion as a sign for Ed to calm down. This time, Ed didn't say anything. He sank back into the couch, hoping to hide himself, and he warily watched the people who had the sticks lower them, but still obviously kept them pointed at him. The room went eerily quiet for a minute. "You have two options, and you can choose whichever one you'd like." The elder was staring into his eyes, so Ed looked down and stared at his hands. "You will either be escorted to Azkaban and await for a trial, or you will come with me and attend school at Hogwarts." Both of those words were foreign to Ed and they had no impact on him. While still keeping his head down, he moved his eyes around and got a better look at his surroundings. It really sounded like the man was implying he'd be taken to jail or to a school, neither of which he wanted to do.

Ed spotted an open door and he got up and ran to it as fast as he could. The people shouted their foreign words and beams of light jetted past him. None of them hit their target and he fled down a long corridor. He took a sharp left and ran down a different way, nearly tripping in the process. The corridor was made entirely out of stone, and his running footsteps echoed much more loudly than he would have liked. Coming to a stop, Ed turned randomly down different hallways and walked as quietly as he could. He could hear the shouts echoing, but they became gradually softer.

His surroundings were dark and gloomy, making navigation difficult. There had to be an exit somewhere, and he would find it eventually, but hopefully before anyone found him first. Ed did feel bad for leaving Ling behind, but his instincts told him to run, and he had not thought of the prince before running away. The people hadn't treated Ling like he was a threat, so Ed wasn't worried too much about him.

The corridors seemed to keep going on and on forever, with new ones sprouting up seemingly out of nowhere. It was almost like they were alive and moving, with their single goal to keep him lost and disoriented. His automail limbs slumped and his ports were stinging with pain. He fell down and scooted towards a wall so he wouldn't be helpless lying in the middle of the floor. He was half tempted to call out for help, but then he would be discovered by the enemy. Instead, he rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes, only wanting to rest them for a little bit. Instead, he fell asleep.

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><p>Ed woke up with a jolt, mentally cursing at himself. He had not meant to fall asleep, but he had not slept since landing in the strange place. At least he felt refreshed from his nap, but he was also still disoriented and his automail limbs were not acting properly; they were dead weight at this point.<p>

He was going to die alone in the damp, dark corridor if he didn't act soon. Then again, he really didn't want to end up in the hands of the enemy. Ed didn't know what to do. So, killing time, he thought about Al, Winry, and everyone else he left behind back home. He had to get back to them, at any cost.

Giving into his thoughts, Ed mustered the loudest cry for help he could. His voice cracked, and the shout was not effective. It didn't feel right, he didn't like giving in. Once again, he shouted for help, and this time it was loud enough to echo. He could hear footsteps running in his direction, and he braced to be attacked.

Three people he recognized from being captured earlier walked into view, with their sticks carefully aimed at him.

"Stay where you are." The creepy man with the wooden leg spoke gruff and loudly. They approached and surrounded him in a semi-circle formation. He wasn't sure what they were waiting for. Maybe more backup, not like they would need it when he was in such a useless, immobile state. A few minutes later, his suspicions were confirmed and more people came to surround him against the wall.

"Ed!" A familiar voice spoke; it was Ling. The prince pushed through the small crowd and knelt down next to him.

"Alright, get up!" The cranky man nearly bellowed. Ling stood protectively in front of Ed to block any attacks.

"I can't." Ed replied hoarsely. His throat was scratchy from a lack of water and it hurt to talk. Before the man could say his little foreign words to make the stick do its trick, Ling offered a hand, which Ed grabbed to help himself stand up.

"I'll help him back." Ling said to the man, and he let Ed lean against him while they walked through the maze like corridors. "It's alright, Ed. Dumbledore explained things to me, and I explained things to him."

"Who?" Ed asked while trying to keep his labored walking steady.

"The old man with the beard who was talking to you before you ran off." Ling said with a cocky grin spread wide on his face.

"Okay. What's going on here? Where are we?"

"We're not in Amestris." His grin disappeared and he put on a stoic face.

"Oh really?" Ed quipped in his most sarcastic tone he could muster.

"I mean we are not in our own world anymore." Ling's words were enough to make stop him stop walking and give the prince the most ridiculous look of disbelief.

"What?" Ed asked in a high tone of voice. Ling clung onto Ed's arm to keep him walking. At least the corridors were becoming well lit and less dingy as they walked.

"You heard me, Ed. Something went wrong when you transmuted us, and we were sent somewhere completely different."

"Are you suggesting we entered a parallel universe?" Ed raised an eyebrow and almost started to laugh.

"It's the best we came up with. Look around us; everything is different. The reason alchemy doesn't work here is because it doesn't exist, at least not in the sense of how we understand it. Here, they use magic." Ed didn't respond to that. He looked straight ahead with a confused look on his face. "Ed, we have to figure out a way to get back home, and we can't do that from prison."

"That hardly seems fair." Ed stated dryly. "Our only options being tossed in a cell or in a school. It's the same thing."

"No, it's not. You can read and do research in the school. Otherwise we'll be stuck here forever. Your choice."

"Fine." He didn't like it, but Ling was right. What good could he do locked up in a prison with no resources at his disposal? Going to the school instead would greatly improve his chances of finding a way out of this bizarre place and back home. Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing of what was in store for him.

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><p>"Welcome back, Edward Elric." The old man, Dumbledore, spoke softly and with a nod. Ed gave Ling a dirty glare. Just how much had he told the man about themselves? The two sat down on the couch, and Ed shook Ling off as soon as he didn't need him for balancing. "I am glad you have decided to attend my school, and I will see you both next week. Moody will assist you with your supplies." Before Ed could say or ask anything, the bearded man vanished with a loud cracking noise.<p>

"Right, you heard the man, get movin'!" The grump with the prosthetics grumbled out, and Ling helped Ed get up so they could walk.

"Why am I the only one here who doesn't seem to know what's going on." Ed hissed in Ling's ear. It was starting to piss him off mightily and he wished any part of the situation made sense.

"Don't worry about it now. We're going shopping!" Ling responded far too giddily.

"Joy." Ed responded with a roll of his eyes. Was it too much to ask for to get a straight answer out of anybody around here?

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><p><strong>Hello! I haven't updated in nearly a year, but this story is not dead. I had major computer issues and I was finally able to purchase a tablet, which will arrive soon, so I'll hopefully be able to write more frequently. I am a busy person, so it may be hard at times to find time to write. That being said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will leave me a review. Thank you, readers!<strong>


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